ICU Ventilation may Trigger Mental Decline: Study

Some form of mental dysfunction as reflected in anxiety, depression, and especially delirium is suffered by at least 30 percent of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). In mechanically-ventilated ICU patients, the incidence of delirium is particularly high, about 80 percent, and may be due in part to damage in the hippocampus, though how ventilation is increasing the risk of damage and mental impairment has remained elusive. Now, a new study published in the ...